The School Within a School Race Committee has become involved in a controversy in Brookline’s Town Meeting regarding appointments to the Human Relations Commission, which is responsible for addressing racial issues in town. A moratorium on appointments to the Commission, implemented by the Board of Selectmen, despite a number of vacant positions, has delayed the application processes of racial justice advocate Arthur Conquest and others and has instigated allegations of racism within the town government.

Selectman Nancy Daly said that the moratorium was intended to provide time to examine the Commission’s mission so that when new Commissioners are appointed, they can be chosen based on their ability to uphold that mission. The moratorium, she maintained, was intended to provide time to examine the Commission’s mission so that when new Commissioners are appointed, they can be chosen based on their ability to uphold that mission.

Although two others, Cruz Sanabria and Dwaign Tyndal, also saw their application processes postponed, Conquest believes he was the target of the moratorium, which he said was guided by “intentional racism” in an effort to prevent activists like him from spurring the Commission to action.

Daly disagrees with the accusations made by Conquest and his supporters.

“I totally deny their allegations,” she said. “And I think that they’re harming the image of Brookline and making it less likely that people of protected classes, minorities, etc. would want to move to Brookline or would want to work for Brookline. Brookline is a welcoming place for various minorities, and I hate to have the public have the impression that people should not move here if they’re minorities,” she said.

On Dec. 5, Town Meeting member Mariela Ames and her husband, Brooks Ames, who are on the forefront of the battle in favor of the appointments, came to speak with the SWS Race Committee about how students can get involved. Members of the SWS Race Committee plan to attend future Selectmen meetings to lobby alongside Mariela and Brooks Ames for Conquest’s appointment.

Senior Micah Katz-Zeiger, who is involved with the SWS Race Committee, said he felt that the moratorium is an impediment to constructive conversation about race.

“This is something that we need to talk about in the high school and the town at large.”

Ben Gladstone can be contacted at [email protected].